


Ashes

by mihketta



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Gladnis, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 07:36:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10271573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mihketta/pseuds/mihketta
Summary: Fleeting moments of happiness are bittersweet, as good things can never last for long.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Taking a break from writing my slow-burn Gladnis fic to rip this angsty little one-shot out of my soul. It’s told entirely from the perspective of Gladio. Spoilers ahead, as this takes place mostly within the events of chapter 8-9, and a bit of 13 at the end. Ugh. My heart.
> 
> M-rated for brief NSFW mention.

I’ll never forget the look on your face when we arrived in Altissia for the first time.

 

The wonder in your eyes as we stepped from the docks into the city proper, taking in the hustle and bustle of this elegantly foreign lifestyle.

 

You acquiesced to trying gelato with Prompto, with nary a quip about time or duty, savoring the indulgent flavors and rating them from favorite to least. You chose honey lavender as your winner. Prompto teased you for your blithe predictability, and you laughed buoyantly in return. Truth be told I wasn’t surprised at all either, and it made my heart blossom comfortably.

 

You paused in the city streets as we wandered, fascinated by each and every signboard that stood outside of cafes, wineries, fine dining establishments. I could practically see the gears turning in your head as you pored over the daily specials, intensely and with an arched eyebrow, recreating them in your own mind for future recipes on our journey.

 

Our gondola ride to dinner captivated you, and as the sun set and the flickering lights of the city sprung to life, we were all reduced to a reverent silence of the beauty surrounding us. Cozy and delicate, the subdued lights reflected off of the glassy surface of the water, casting soft highlights on your entranced face as you took it all in.

 

You hand sought mine out, covertly, in what little shadow the bench of the gondola afforded us. My fingers threaded through your slim grasp innately with a gentle squeeze.

 

Dinner was extravagant and exotic, and we all sat around the table and laughed until our cheeks hurt as you patiently tried to explain the finer details of tomato fennel gratin to Noctis, who somehow still firmly refuses to allow any odd vegetables within his sight.

 

The next day was ours to savor; a full day at rest before proceeding with the covenant. Noctis and Prompto got an early start into the city on their own, a thorough exploration while seeking out photography spots and a lengthy spell of fishing. We made love that morning, the breaking sunlight falling over our bodies, entangled in the sheets and each other. Unhurried, our hands took their time roaming the expanse of one anothers form, fingertips cataloguing the familiar landscape of sleek muscle and taut skin, peaks and valleys, edges of lips and ears and eyelashes. We tasted each other, dreamlike and languid, over and over again, cradled in a hazy cocoon of our own contentment and desire.

 

We wandered through the bustling streets of the city, window-shopping and snacking at sidewalk vendors, taking side paths that wound through charming residential areas. Admiring the piazzas and public squares, people watching, you would examine the particular kinds of flower boxes and meandering ivy that grew over residential fences and the design of their cobblestoned walkways, a covetous admiration in your gaze every time we would stumble across a hidden nook of a small home, tucked away elegantly within a subtle alley or the side of an aging brick structure.

 

You took me wine tasting after dinner. The unadulterated joy in your eyes as you savored each sample, exuberantly discussing the subtleties and tasting notes of the various Altissian wines, explaining the process and rationale of the nuances in flavor notes to me; uncultured as I was, I merely sat aside you and basked in your euphoria of the moment. It was enough. So much more than enough.

 

Drunk on the spirits and each other, you caught me off guard as you tugged me into a shadowy alleyway on our way back to the hotel, your lips meeting mine hungrily as we nestled our bodies together, back against the cooling bricks. I could feel the exhilaration in your kiss, tasting the bliss of the wine and of you as your arms entwined themselves around my brutish frame; I cupped your delicate chin in one hand as we savored each other, oblivious to the world around us. Time stopped for us right then and there; my heart overflowed and there was only you.

 

We were perfection, the two of us, existing for only each other. Those moments, as even now I clutch them close to my chest every day. I would give anything to have just one more to hold. To see you like this, just one more time. I would give anything.

 

Everything changes in the breath of a moment, and the events of the next day could have been no more tantamount to that. We did our duty, all of us, as we were instructed and needed. It had seemed like our task was nearly complete when I heard you - an unearthly howl born of pain and anguish ripped through the remaining crowds, and within an instant I knew it was you. The cry wrapped itself around my very soul, catching it with an iron grasp and electrifying every part of my body with a desperate fear. I had never heard you make even close to such a noise, but it was you. I knew.

 

I abandoned my post, hurtling through the nearly deserted square like a man possessed, my frantic brain locking onto only one goal now. My chest practically burst as I willed my legs to move faster and called upon every last ounce of strength I had ever cultivated to lead me to you before it was too late. The last of my reserves were nearly spent when I found you; prone form crumpled against a pillar, exposed skin and clothing heavily smeared with blood, unmoving. Adrenaline kicked in as I howled in return upon sight of you, the plaintive cry of a wounded animal ripping itself from deep within my chest, and within moments I was at your side, cradling your small form within my arms. My heart beat furiously in my ribcage like a wild thing as I struggled to process the scene before me, assure you were okay, piece together what fate had befallen you, figure out just what I needed to do to make everything all right. You were breathing, and it gave me a modicum of comfort, but the wrath that had wreaked itself across your face bore a heavy ache in my chest. I tried in vain to wipe the sanguined streaks from your hair and cheeks to realize that, for now, it was useless. Your wounds were grievous, so I steeled my resolve and spirited you away in my arms, precious seconds ticking away at my heels.

 

Things were different from there on out. If there were a moment I could point to that signaled the switch from before to after that day would be it, and a darkened shroud hung wordlessly over our group, ever-present and foreboding. You spoke little, and when you did there was a hardened edge to your voice I had never heard before. It wore slowly at my resolution like water over a rock, over time exposing the tiny cracks that had been long since buried under the surface. I stayed beside you; a stalwart presence, never straying far, ever-watchful and ready to be your guard when you needed it. But inside my heart ached at your struggle - every small misstep, reaching for something that was just a breath too far, the wistful look that ghosted over your features as we entered a new and unseen terrain. It cracked my chest to the core and sometimes I couldn’t even fathom that it could hurt this deeply.

 

We had all suffered loss, and it changed us so very fundamentally. But we moved forward, because we had to. We all had our own duty to the world, to our people, to each other. We had lost so much that turning back was not even a viable option. Even if we had wanted to, nothing would have been the same. All of us, broken men, yearning for a life that laughed in our face because it would always elude our desperate grasp.

 

And so here we sit, you and I. It is cold and dark. The only light in the ever-blackened sky is from the far-off military base searchlights, sweeping slow and deliberate. The distant whirring of engines and generators is all we hear outside of the shakiness of our own breathing. It is snowing lightly around us; a grotesque thing that holds no beauty, and I feel your body tremble lightly against mine, but it is not from the cold. We sit here with our path obstructed, our backs chilled against the unforgiving steel of the train that nearly took our lives in one fell swoop, as the prodigal son rises to his destiny and moves forward alone into the breach.

 

I look out into the bleak distance as we sit soundless, my arms twined around your slender shoulders, holding you as close as I can without hurting you. You tremble against me once more, infinitesimal and fleeting, and as I gently press my lips to your temple your resolve recedes and your body relents as you sob softly, openly into the cover of my shoulder. It is just you and I, and my lashes dampen as my eyes slowly fall to shut, mirroring your darkness, and the darkness that surrounds us.


End file.
